Page 86 of Ruling the Green

Slowly but surely, I heard the trickle of water before we came across a small stream.

“What is that?” Nira asked as I knelt down near the water, closing my hand around the stem of a blue flower growing near the water’s edge.

“It’s Stillwater. It’s a weed that grows near any water source. Pretty but—”

“But what?” Nira asked.

But, suddenly, I had an idea.

One that might, maybe, not make me completely useless to this cause. That said, I wasn’t sure yet. I didn’t want to say anything until I proved it was possible.

“Hm? Sorry. I don’t know. Lost my thought,” I lied as I gathered a handful of the Stillwaters and held them in my hand, careful to avoid the thick white sap leaking from the plucked end of the stem. “Want to head back? Get some lunch? I’m not sure I feel like training today.”

“Are you sure you’re not an empath because you just read my mind. I want to finish the touches on your gown for the tournament.”

Did I enjoy lying to my first real friend? No. I comforted myself with the idea that if all else failed, and my plan succeeded, I could be saving all of us.

I went into my room, waiting for Nira to leave me with Knight standing guard at the door so she could fetch lunch, then I ran into the water closet with a flask, a jar of my lake water, and the blooms.

I sat on the floor, carefully squeezing the sap into the flask, making sure not to let any of it touch my skin, then pouring water inside while whispering to it to help amplify the Stillwater’s effects.

Finished, I capped the flask and gave it a good shake before carefully hiding it under the bed near the wall.

Sitting.

Fermenting.

Getting more powerful.

The only problem being… how would I know it was working? I suppose I could take a chance and try it myself. Worst case, I had my water to heal me.

Somewhere down below the bedroom window, their eerie chants rose up, an annoying sound that got more grating the longer I listened—like a set of cicadas calling to each other from distant trees.

Glancing down, I saw them.

Standing a few feet away from a frustrated Jet, their red heads glowing with sticky blood.

Jet told me that the Light claimed my lake.

But the fact that I was considering using the redcaps as my test subjects made me wonder if I was maybe a little more Dark than Light.

I mean, it wouldn’t kill them. At least I was reasonably sure. That said, they would have a hell of a few days. And Jet would be a few nuisances short while they recovered.

There weren’t a lot of downsides.

I would let it steep for a few hours. Then once Jet was asleep, I would try one drop. If I felt unwell, I’d take a drink of my water. And I’d have my answer. If I didn’t get sick, then maybe it needed to steep longer or have less water. I didn’t have long to play with my experiment, but I was excited about the possibilities.

If I got the combination right, I would also need to figure out how to mask the bitter taste and find a discreet way to carry it with me.

There was a knock at the bedroom door, making me hop up and rush over, figuring Nira had her hands full.

When I pulled the door open, though, it wasn’t Nira standing there. It was the laundress.

Knight looked at me uncertainly because he was standing guard, but he’d seen the laundress in and out of the room almost daily.

I couldn’t tell her to go away, since I was still playing my part as the silent princess. What could I do but take a step back and wave toward the basket of laundry?

She offered me a polite smile and went to the basket, gathering up mine and Jet’s dirty laundry, then making her way back to the door.